Letters to Heaven
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: She was abandoned at the age of five, left hopelessly alone. That is, until the day she encountered a mysterious blond and began the journey of a lifetime. 2nd in a series of one shots pairing Naruto with EVERY girl in Fairy Tail! NarutoxWendy! Two-shot!


**A/N: Yosh! Now its Wendy's turn! I made a few twist and turns to her past here and there in order to make things fit, but for those of you who are Fairy Tail fans, I can assure you, her background is mostly intact. Poor Wendy! No child should _ever_ be abandoned at such a young age, especially by the only parent they've ever known. No one! Also, this story, as with Maiden, may have an epilogue. Note: This will become a two-shot. **

**Heavenward**

She was alone.

Terribly, terribly alone.

Alone, because she'd been abandoned. Alone, because she'd woken up and realized that she was gone. Alone, because she couldn't find her; because her mother was nowhere to be found. She was simply gone. She didn't drift down from the skies when her child called for her nor did she appear when her child ventured away from the cavern in search of her. The child was desperate to find the only parent she'd ever known. It was as if she'd just vanished, gone with the winds that were the magic she had taught her child.

Because she _was_ gone.

She, the dragon who had raised her for the last five years had simply disappeared overnight, leaving her to fend for herself. She didn't know where she was going or where she had gone, the only mother she'd ever known. She only knew that she had to keep going, had to keep walking, had to do something, because if she didn't then she would start crying and if she started crying then she wouldn't be able to stop and if she wasn't able to stop...

"Grandine..." The child sobbed as she trudged along the worn and weathered jungle path. "Where are you...Grandine?" With eyes full of unshed tears, she peered up at the sky, squinting against the harsh sunlight as it beat down upon her little head. She couldn't have been more than five years old. She kept walking, desperate for something, anything to keep her mind from the crushing loss that filled her young mind. She kept walking, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hands until a shadow fell over her; until she _finally_ she dared to look up.

"Hmm?"

All she saw was black and orange. His attire was ragged, looking as though it had been slashed through and through by a great beast. And yet, remarkably, there was not so much as a scratch to be seen upon him save for the tattered piece of cloth and metal standing out defiantly upon his forearm. It bore a strange, leaf-like symbol etched into its facets, almost as if it had been carved there, then slashed across the middle by some incredible force.

He was a handsome youth, if intense. His blond hair was disheveled, his blue eyes intelligent, his features balanced. Whisker marks tripled each cheek cheeks that once dimpled with a constantly bright and enthused grin; no matter the situation, no matter the mission. Now, he was intense, his visage free of the baby fat that had cursed him in his younger years. Chiseled and nigh but expressionless, that face squinted against the afternoon light; peering down at her as she stood there; a veritable deer in headlights.

"What's the matter?" He asked, finally noticing her tears.

The girl sniffled.

"She's gone..."

"What?"

She couldn't take it anymore.

Like a dam bursting, like a river overflowing its banks, the tears came. She couldn't stop them, couldn't restrain them, couldn't do anything in that instant but cry as an innocent inquiry poured salt into a wound that had yet to even begin to heal. Her eyes brimming with a river of sorrow, she darted forward. He stiffened at her sudden approach, his body going rigid as she collided with his legs; the act of which knocked him back on his heels.

_ "She disappeared!"_

She flung herself at him, her hands fisting against the hem of his trousers, _clinging_ to him as though she might drown should she release him. Strong hands encircled her and drew her close, pulling her head into a chest that smelled strongly of autumn and ramen. He did not push her away when she curled into him; on the contrary he held her too loosely as if she were made of fine china, and he afraid that the slightest movement would shatter her forever.

"Who disappeared?" The blond stranger asked at last, as if sensing that her tears had finally begun to die down. "Who are you?"

"W-Wendy."

"Alright then, Wendy." The stranger began. "My name is Naruto. Can you tell me who disappeared?"

"Sh-She..."

Wendy felt her voice break and didn't care, as she felt the tears spill unchecked down her cheeks.

"G-Grandine...disappeared_...waaaah!"_

The stranger tensed, but slowly reached out and pulled the sobbing girl into his arms, gingerly stroking her hair. Wendy sobbed harshly, unceasingly; it seemed as though she would never stop, that she would be locked in this moment forever, paralyzed by grief and weeping for her mother, and still the stranger held her. Fighting a rising swell of tears that constricted in her throat, she forced herself to repeat the name; then she forced herself to look at him again.

"Grandine?" She couldn't quite see his face but a note of tension had just entered the stranger's voice. "As in Grandine the Sky Dragon?" With trembling lips she tried to reply; all that emerged, was a small, gasping hiccup. She felt him sigh, felt him relax, the stiffness and the tension slowly ebbing from his frame. Did this boy know her, did he know Grandine? Helplessly, she felt her feelings begin to rise, burgeoned by the hope that this stranger might somehow know where her foster mother had gone.

"D-Do you know where Grandine is?" she asked weakly, her heart soaring for a moment. Just a moment. For just a moment, she dared to hope that this boy would be able to lead her to her mother and that all of this would turn out to be one of her mother's many, many games that always ended with Grandine's defeat.

Then his words brought all of her hopes crashing down around her ears.

"I'm afraid I know her through reputation only." The stranger known as Naruto said. "Actually, I'm looking for another dragon." Wendy blinked at that one, fighting to swallow another tide of tears even as her sorrow threatened to smother her. This boy was looking for a dragon, too? Did that mean he was like her? Did that make him a Dragon Slayer too? Truly, sincerely she found herself hoping and dreading such a prospect. Power radiated from this boy, power that even she, a child, could sense. That he might be the same as her was as much cause to rejoice as it was to despair. He might be a friend. But he also might be an enemy. And yet, she desperately wanted to trust this boy. To believe in him; in his kind blue eyes, his warm smile and trust that he would not hurt her.

"He's a mean old bastard, but he's taken care of me ever since I ended up in this dimension." He waited, watching as Wendy blinked up at him, her large eyes growing larger still as he continued. "His name's Aconolgia." The stranger explained. "The Black Dragon. He attacked me out of the blue one day and told me to stay away from him. Took off one of my arms and both of my legs" He chuckled at that, as though he somehow found this to be funny. "He said something about a Feast, but I've been tracking him for at least a week now. I think he's flying around this continent for some reason. You haven't seen him, have you?"

"I-I haven't." Little Wendy admitted in turn. "I'm lost."

Naruto laughed.

"Well, what a coincidence! I've been lost for days!"

That was the day she met him; the day that her young life was changed forever.

For the next month they continued traveling together, the two of them with no destination in mind. He told her about himself; that he was not from here, that he originally hailed from a place called Edolas, and before that a realm known as Konoha. She asked him about Acnologia and he asked her about Grandine. She took comfort in the fact that she was traveling with someone so very much like herself. It was almost like having a big brother. _Almost._

He took care of her. He carried her when she was tired, sheltered her when it rained, found food when she was hungry, made her smile when she wanted only to cry. Those precious days together were pure paradise for a child such as her.

And for a time, all was well.

Then, one night as they made camp, she asked him about the tattoo. She'd seen it often enough; the crude, circular symbol painted across his navel, scrawled across his stomach, etched into his flesh and left there for all the world to see. She'd long since been curious about it so she saw no harm in asking him. That night, he told her the truth. He told her what his body had once been; a prison, a shell, a vessel, made to house a terrible, despicable monster. He also explained to her that this was no longer the case; that said monster was now no longer a part of him, that it had not been for quite some time. The true monster in his life however, he said, was the very dragon that he was so desperately searching for.

Eager to change the subject, Wendy all but jumped at it.

"Neh, so what's so dangerous about Acnologia?"

"If he saw you with me, he'd probably kill you without hesistation." Naruto murmured, his eyes somber and his expression suddenly dour. At the time, Wendy hadn't understood the meaning within his words. She'd simply nodded, assuming that he was warning her, preparing her for that day when they would eventually encounter the infamous black dragon that had raised him. She hadn't known then, that he was justifying his actions, that he was trying to protect her. She hadn't known then what she knew now. She hadn't known then, what the next day would bring.

She simply hadn't known...

Dark clouds rode overhead, beffitting her sullen mood. Dark clouds, laden with thick and heavy raindrops, threatened to devour the skyline and her hopes altogether. Dark clouds, released their bounty, sending dozens upon dozens of droplets plummeting to the ground. One of them struck her cheek, mingling with the tear lingering there, trailing an agonizing track of silent agony down her lips.

Beneath this rain beneath the trees, Wendy Marvell stood; clutching her arms around herself, doing her best to stifle her grief, _her misery,_ before it could strangle her. Soaked from head to toe, she wanted nothing more than to get out of the rain, and yet here she stood, bawling her little eyes out. Because he was going to leave her. Just like Grandine. She was going to be left alone _again_ and the thought evoked such a surge of panic in her heart that Wendy rallied against it with her very being.

"No!" The words brust from her lips as she clung to his hand. "I wanna come with you!"

Naruto shook his head.

"You can't. It'll be too dangerous if you come."

"But why? I don't want to leave you, Naruto!"

"I told you, Acnologia is dangerous." Naruto began softly. "If I let you come with me Wendy, if we find him, you'll be killed." He turned aside for a moment, gazing up into the stormy sky, his half-lidded eyes drooping for an instant. "I knew from the beginning that this would not last forever." He sighed. "This last month, traveling with you...I really enjoyed it. Your eyes, your hands and your warm smile, they've become my treasure, Wendy. A treasure so valuable to me that I'd sooner throw away my own life than see your own be made forfeit."

When she looked at Naruto now, he appeared as exactly as he had then. A face so handsome in its sternness, its icy façade, belied by the gentle person underneath it. Only tonight, underneath his stoicism, deep within those burning blue eyes, was grief. Though it did not show on his features or in his voice, it was there as tangible as tears, as palpable as flesh.

"If you head past this forest, there's a guild." Naruto said, returning his gaze from the heavens, bringing it to bear upon her once more. "The Guildmaster is an old friend of mine. You'll be taken care of there."

"No!" Wendy wailed, clinging to him tightly. "I don't want to go!"

"Wendy..."

She felt his hand brush across her head, ruffling her hair. He laid the other upon her shoulder and in one fluid movement, crouched before her. She blinked at that, blinked as he smiled that smile of his; a smile of such warmth that she couldn't help but feel consoled. Her tears began to dry, her loneliness and sorrow leaching away even as he spoke to her as if everything was alright:

"What if I promised to write to you?"

"Write?" Wendy blinked, her tide of tears momentarily stemmed. "Wh-What do you mean by that?"

"I'd write you letters about my travels of course." Naruto answered. "Just because you can't come with me doesn't mean I can't tell you what I'm doing or where I'm going. And when this is all over, when I've finally found Acnologia and taken care of everything, I'll come back for you. Then we can look for Grandine together." He smiled again reaching out to catch one of her tears before it could fall from her still brimming eyes. "Just the two of us. We'll find her, together. I'm certain of it."

Wendy listened to him and wondered.

_ Why?_

Why was it that his words inspired such hope in her heart? Why was it, that he made her want to believe, even when she despaired? She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to wait. And she _certainly_ didn't want to be alone again. But if he was leading her to a guild as he'd said he would, then she wouldn't be alone now would she? But would she be able to do as he asked? He was asking so much of her...

"Would you be willing to wait for me, Wendy?" Naruto asked, his sapphire eye searching her own for an answer. Beneath his scrutinizing gaze Wendy nearly faltered. This was so much to ask of her, too much, for one so young. Would she be able to honor his request? Would she be able to do it?

Would she be able to wait?

Numbly, she found herself nodding. The idea that he would write to her, that she would receive his letters and be able to read them, to know that he was alright brought her some small comfort. It wasn't enough, true, and it tore her heart in half to say goodbye to the one person to whom she'd grown so close. But somewhere, _somewhere_ deep in the depths of her heart, she knew that he was right. She didn't like it one bit, but she knew that he was right.

"I promise, I'll write to you every day, Wendy." Naruto said once more, his eyes firm, his voice fervent as she accepted the agreement. "Believe it." He hugged her head into his chest for a moment and in that moment she inhaled, her tiny fists clenching around the lapels of his jacket once more, in a final bout of futility. She was desperate to be close to her saviour, if only for a little while longer. He did not deny her that. But eventually her grip slackened, and eventually, so too did the grip of the storm. As abruptly as it had been birthed, so too did the storm wither away into nothingness, taking the stormy clouds with it.

Sunlight, gentle shards of heavenly luminance, flung themselves down around the two dragon slayers. Thinking back on it, Wendy might have found it ironic; that this storm had subsided so suddenly as she found the center of her emotions and calmed herself. Back then, it had felt to her like a chapter in her life was ending. In truth, it was only just beginning; the start of a journey that would one day see the loneliness of her childhood eviscerated so utterly that it would become nothing more than that; a ghost of a memory.

The very next day, Naruto left her at Cait Shelter.

Two days after that, the first letter came.

** A/N: Yes, this is obviously going to be a double shot. I'll wrap this story up next chapter, do don't forget to read and review! Narutox Edo Erza is next after this, so enjoy and remember, I am writing this solely for your benefit and so that all of you can enjoy! Don't worry, I have a BRILLIANT plot device in hand to rectify their age difference in the near future as suggested by my good friend Vandenbz(thanks again man!) and this story WILL have a happy ending! So please review, reviews are like wine and I **


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